What is the Difference Between CVT and Automatic Transmission?

[Cindy]

There are several differences: 1. Literal meaning: A continuously variable transmission (CVT) has no fixed gear ratios, while an automatic transmission controls each gear with a set of clutch plates to achieve shifting. 2. Structural differences: The CVT has a simpler structure than traditional transmissions, with a smaller size. It lacks the multiple gear pairs of manual transmissions or the complex planetary gear sets of automatic transmissions. Instead, it mainly relies on two variable-diameter pulleys to achieve seamless ratio changes. 3. Gear shifting differences: An automatic transmission simply changes the shifting motion of a manual transmission into linear movement, achieving automatic operation in terms of motion direction, but it still shifts gears step by step from low to high speeds. In contrast, a CVT no longer shows visible gear increment or decrement markings, only directional indicators like forward and reverse. CVTs provide smoother performance than automatic transmissions during high-speed overtaking and cornering.